Another Bra

Click for Larger Image

I have finished another bra, and this one is a keeper. It's made with the first kit I got from ELingeriA, and everything except the upper cup piece is lined with powernet. I have to say that this is a real success in my eyes. It's supportive, comfortable in the extreme, and not bad looking, either. I've learned a few things between doing two versions now, and will once again make a few changes in the next model. I'm planning to do one more before I cut into the gorgeous orange kit fabrics. Thank you Sigrid for the warning about the lace. I'll watch it.


Click for Larger Image

I wish there was a way to show the shape of it without having to model it, but I don't think there is. You'll just have to imagine it.

The one I cut out this afternoon is a nude color except the top cup pieces will be pink/nude lace. It seems to me that in a way it's easier to do a bra with lace because the lace itself hides a lot of construction stuff that otherwise would be very obvious. Even the patterned fabric of this bra shows the seaming, etc. much more clearly than the lace version I did first. Lining the cups with powernet is absolutely essential for me, but it does make the seam allowances much thicker and more obvious. I used kind of a burrito method to seam this, as the Sewy instructions showed, and while it gives a nice smooth finish on top and inside the cup, it does throw all of the SAs to the same side and in the same spot. Not a real problem, except where all of the cup pieces come together. I'm not happy with that particular spot on one cup, and I'm thinking of what I can do to improve it this time. I think applying the lace on top of the joined lower and side cups rather than using a normal seam will work, and should make a much flatter seam area. I'm going to try it anyway.

NancyK asked what bra pattern I ended up using. It's a copy of a bra I have, a Rio by Freya. I used a pin and tracing paper to stab along the seam lines to copy the various pieces. Not high tech, but it works, and I have to say that it was nice knowing that at least the fit should be something I could expect to match the original, and it is. So, if you have a bra you like that is copy-able, it's something to try. One thing about this one that I think made success more likely is that it does NOT have stretchy cups.

Thank you all for the very nice comments on my new fabrics. I'm sure it will be a while before any finished article from any of the pieces shows up here, but in time, they will.